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WTA Power Rankings

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WTA Power Rankings

Wimbledon has been the most unpredictable Grand Slam event on the women’s side for the last few years. The last time a player seeded in the Top 16 won the title was 2021. The last two editions of The Championships were won by players outside the Top 30.

With the way Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and other big names have largely dominated so far in 2025, it feels like this is a year where some form of normalcy will resume at the All-England Club. But as soon as you think that, something crazy will happen.

Trying to predict Wimbledon results in this day and age may be a fools errand, but the National Bank Open Power Rankings panel is going to give it a shot anyway.

(Brackets indicate change in position since the last edition of the Power Rankings from the before Roland-Garros.)

1) Aryna Sabalenka (-)

  • Actual Ranking: 1
  • 2025 Record: 42-8
  • Notable Recent Result: WTA 500 Berlin SF
  • Best Wimbledon Result: Semifinal (Two times)

Falling short in two Grand Slam finals this year, Sabalenka still has a pair of opportunities to secure her first major title of 2025 with her next chance coming at Wimbledon. 

However, a finals appearance would be the world No. 1’s first at the All-England Club. Sabalenka reached the semifinal twice in the last three years, having to withdraw in 2024 due to a shoulder injury. 

The 27-year-old has looked sharp on grass as she prepares for her return to the All-England Club, defeating former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the Berlin quarter-final before losing to another former champion and the eventual champion Marketa Vondrousova.

Francesco

2) Coco Gauff (-)

  • Actual Ranking: 2
  • 2025 Record: 31-9
  • Notable Recent Result: Berlin round of 16
  • Best Wimbledon Result: 4R (Three times)

Gauff hasn’t had much to show for on the lawn so far this year, losing her opening match in Berlin to eventual finalist Xinyu Wang. But, coming off her second major title at Roland-Garros, there is no doubt she is still a favourite at Wimbledon. 

Read Also: American Tennis is Thriving with French Open Champion Coco Gauff at the Helm

The American No. 1 reached the fourth round at the All-England Club in her maiden Grand Slam main draw appearance in 2019. Add on another two fourth round finishes and six more years’ experience, Gauff’s first WTA grass final could be on the biggest stage.

Francesco

3) Iga Swiatek (+1)

  • Actual Ranking: 8
  • 2025 Record: 32-10
  • Notable Recent Result: Bad Homburg QF*
  • Best Wimbledon Result: Quarter-final (2023)

The same as Gauff can really be said about Swiatek. So often referred to as the Queen of Clay, the world No. 8 has yet to be crowned a WTA champion on grass but does have a Wimbledon junior title to her name.

Swiatek’s first match on the lawn this year was in the Bad Homburg round of 16, where she breezed by two-time Wimbledon semifinalist Victoria Azarenka in straight sets.

As her junior days suggest, the Pole certainly has the potential for a run at the All-England Club, the only major where Swiatek has not reached the semifinal as a pro.

Francesco

4) Madison Keys (+5)

  • Actual Ranking: 6
  • 2025 record: 30-9
  • Notable Recent Results: WTA 500 London SF
  • Best Wimbledon Result: Quarter-Final (Twice)

Will 2025 be the year when Madison Keys takes the next step at the All-England Club? Given everything she has accomplished so far this season, there is no reason to doubt her.

Wimbledon is the only major where Keys has never reached the semifinals, but she has also been very consistent in SW19, reaching at least the fourth round in her last three appearances. Her big ball striking is well-suited to the lawns of London.

Read Also: Vondrousova wins first title since 2023 Wimbledon

Keys has had a bit of bad luck lately, having lost to the eventual champion in her last three tournaments, including both of her warm-up events on grass (London to Tatjana Maria, Berlin to Marketa Vondrousova).

Pete

5) Elena Rybakina (New)

  • Actual Ranking: 11
  • 2025 Record: 29-12
  • Notable Recent Result: Berlin and London QF
  • Best Wimbledon Result: Champion (2022)

The only former Wimbledon champion on the list, Rybakina seems to always be in the mix at the All-England Club. The Kazakhstani has made at least the Wimbledon quarter-final three-straight years, reaching the semifinal in 2024 where she lost to eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova.

Rybakina has three wins from five matches to begin the grass season but there shouldn’t be much surprise if she triples that win tally for back-to-back Wimbledon semifinals.

Francesco

6) Qinwen Zheng (-)

  • Actual Ranking: 5
  • 2025 record: 19-10
  • Notable Recent Results: WTA 500 London SF
  • Best Wimbledon Result: Third Round (2022)

Grass has not been a favourite surface in Zheng’s career so far, but she has reason for optimism heading into the 2025 Championships, fresh off a semifinal run at the Queen’s Club where she picked up wins over Emma Raducanu and Mccartney Kessler.

Read Also: Who’s expected to play the 2025 National Bank Open?

The Olympic gold medalist has been dialed-in over the last few months. She has reached at least the quarter-finals in six of her last seven events, including Roland-Garros, Queen’s, and three WTA 1000 events. She also likes the fast hard courts, so if she can treat grass the same way, she should be a big threat.

Pete

7) Jasmine Paolini (-4)

  • Actual Ranking: 4
  • 2025 Record: 25-10
  • Notable Recent Result: Bad Homburg quarter-final*
  • Best Wimbledon Result: Runner-Up (2024)

Paolini certainly had a career year in 2024, which included a run to the Wimbledon final. The Italian had impressive wins over Keys and Emma Navarro en route to finishing as runner-up but this grass season hasn’t been as fruitful so far. 

Paolini lost in her opening match in Berlin to two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur, only winning four games.

The Tuscany-native responded with a tight opening-match victory against Leylah Annie Fernandez in Bad Homburg as Paolini looks to string together some wins before heading to the All-England Club.

Francesco

8) Mirra Andreeva (-3)

  • Actual Ranking: 7
  • 2025 record: 31-9
  • Notable Recent Results: WTA 250 Bad Homburg QF*
  • Best Wimbledon Result: Fourth Round (2023)

While she has cooled off a little bit after dominating the early WTA 1000 events, Andreeva has settled into being a rock-solid Top 10 player. Starting with her title run in Dubai in February, the teen reached the quarter-finals or better at five of her last six “big” (WTA 1000 or Grand Slam) events.

One of Andreeva’s early major breakthroughs came at the All-England Club, when she reached the fourth round at age 16. Still just 18, Andreeva is not a player who gets overawed by the occasion and is not someone other players will want to see in their draw.

Pete

9) Jessica Pegula (-2)

  • Actual Ranking: 3
  • 2025 Record: 31-12
  • Notable Recent Result: Bad Homburg quarter-final
  • Best Wimbledon Result: Quarter-final (2023)

Pegula’s game on the lawn may be picking up at just the right time. The American No. 2 lost in three sets in her Berlin opener but followed that up with a comfortable victory in Bad Homburg, dropping just five games to Katerina Siniakova.

Pegula’s next match is an all-American clash against world No. 10 Navarro and a win for the Buffalo-native will be Pegula’s most notable on grass since her championship run in Berlin last year, where she defeated Gauff.

Francesco

10) Amanda Anisimova (New)

  • Actual Ranking: 13
  • 2025 Record: 25-12
  • Notable Recent Result: London runner-up
  • Best Wimbledon Result: Quarter-final (2022)

Anisimova’s impressive trip to the final at the Queen’s Club is the reason the American rounds off this list. The 23-year-old earned Top 10 wins over Navarro and Zheng before losing out in the final to Tatjana Maria.

Read Also: WTA Tour goes green

Anisimova took a break from tennis in 2023 and was unable to make it out of qualifying at Wimbledon the following year. However, the world No. 13 is back at her best in 2025 and has the potential to add more Top 10 victories to her resumé at the All-England Club.

Francesco

The National Bank Open Power Rankings are a group collaboration by the Power Rankings Panel which includes:

2025 Wimbledon Predictions

*Note: Predictions were made prior to the start of qualifying

Champion:

  • Pete: Aryna Sabalenka
  • Mel: Aryna Sabalenka
  • Jonathan: Aryna Sabalenka
  • Eddiel Aryna Sabalenka
  • Charlotte: Marketa Vondrousova
  • Pat: Marketa Vondrousova
  • Francesco: Qinwen Zheng
  • Ravi: Madison Keys

Dark Horse:

  • Pete: Diana Shnaider
  • Mel: Marketa Vondrousova
  • Jonathan: Marketa Vondrousova
  • Eddie: Clara Tauson
  • Charlotte: Elina Svitolina
  • Pat: Veronika Kudermetova
  • Francesco: Marketa Vondrousova
  • Ravi: Liudmila Samsonova

Bold Prediction:

  • Pete: A qualifier will reach the quarter-finals.
  • Mel: A player ranked outside the Top 10 in the world will reach the final.
  • Jonathan: Reigning champion Barbora Krejcikova shakes off the injury rust and reaches the round of 16.
  • Eddie: Home-country hopefuls will see Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter both make the quarter-finals.
  • Charlotte: Carson Branstine will beat Roland-Garros semifinalist Lois Boisson in qualifying.*
  • Pat: The final will not feature a Top 10 player.
  • Francesco: A Czech player will make the final.
  • Ravi: Iga Swiatek will make the semifinals.

The WTA’s best return to Montreal this summer for the National Bank Open presented by Rogers July 26 to Aug. 7, 2025 at IGA Stadium. 2025 Tickets are on sale. Get your tickets today!

Feature Photo: Martin Sidorjak

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How Gen Z is leading latest boom in distance running

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Dec. 9, 2025, 6:02 a.m. ET



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Chloe Leluge Earns 2025 AVCA All-Pacific Region Honorable Mention

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Ranking 2nd in the Big West and 36th in Division I with a .383 hitting percentage, Leluge has helped keep Cal Poly’s offense in the national top-20 for most of the season. The team currently sits 18th heading into the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals, marking the program’s first return to this stage since 2007.

Even if her career ended today, Leluge’s .372 career hitting percentage would far outpace the current program leader in the Division I era by 17 points. Her current season rate also places her in the top-10 on the program’s single-season leaderboard. A true two-way middle blocker, Leluge co-leads the team and the conference this season with 130 total blocks.

Just a few weeks ago, Cal Poly upset top-seeded UC Davis to win the Big West title and secure an automatic NCAA bid. Leluge, who committed only one error on 57 attacks throughout the tournament, was named Big West Championship MVP and later to Michella Chester’s NCAA Rotation of the Week.

Since then, Leluge has been instrumental in helping the Mustangs topple ranked programs BYU and USC in the NCAA Tournament to advance to the Sweet 16. She helped stun the Cougars in the first round’s opening set, tallying six kills to kickstart Cal Poly’s tournament run, before recording a trio of block assists against USC, extending her multi-block streak to 13 matches.

As arguably one of the best all-around middle blockers in the country, Leluge has positioned herself to continue an already legendary career while helping propel Cal Poly to one of the single greatest seasons in program history.



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Cail Named to 2025 AVCA Central All-Region Team

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JONESBORO, Ark. (12/9/25) – Arkansas State volleyball middle blocker Daedrianna Cail was named to the Division I Central All-Region First Team by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, as the organization announced its regional teams for the 2025 campaign on Tuesday.
 
Cail is the Red Wolves’ 10th AVCA All-Region selection in program history and the first to secure a spot on the first team since Mallory Warrington and Markie Schaedig achieved the feat in 2016.
 
The Marion native tallied a program-record 183 total blocks alongside 282 kills and a .355 attack percentage over 31 matches and 119 sets played. The All-Sun Belt Conference First Team selection ranks second nationally for total blocks and fifth for blocks per set, averaging 1.54.
 
Cail posted five-plus blocks in 18 matches and registered a career high of 15 to lead A-State past Texas State in a 3-2 (15-25, 25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 15-10) victory in the Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament semifinals. In addition, the senior landed double-digit kills in 14 matches, including a season and career high of 19 at Georgia State on Sept. 26.
 
Cail was named Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament Most Outstanding Player following the Scarlet and Black’s victory over James Madison in the championship round.
 
Following the all-region selection, Cail is eligible for AVCA All-America consideration. All-America teams will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Fans can follow the team on Twitter (@AStateVB) and Instagram (astatevb) along with liking the Arkansas State Red Wolves Volleyball page on Facebook for the latest news and updates regarding the team.



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EIU Hosts Former OVC Rival On Wednesday

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EASTERN ILLINOIS (2-6) vs. Eastern Kentucky (2-7)

Wednesday, December 10  •  7 pm 

Charleston, Ill.  •  Groniger Arena

GAME INFO

RADIO: Hit Mix 88.9 WEIU

TV: ESPN+

LIVE STATS: www.eiupanthers.com

SERIES RECORD: EKU leads 28-18

LAST MEETING: EIU 81, EIU 66 on Dec. 14, 2024 at Berea College (Ky.)

NOTES: EIU Complete Game Notes

GAME 9

Eastern Illinois plays its second straight home game as the Panthers will have four of five contests at Groniger Arena in the month of December.   The Panthers host former Ohio Valley Conference rival Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday night.  EIU lost its OVC opener on Saturday against Lindenwood falling to 2-6 on the season with three straight losses.   It was EIU’s first loss at home this season and snapped a four game home win streak.  Eastern Kentucky snapped its seven game losing skid at home over the weekend with a big win over IU East to move the Colonels to 2-7 on the season.  

JACOBI WITH A DOUBLE-DOUBLE

Graduate student Kooper Jacobi posted his first double-double of the season on Saturday with 20 points and 10 rebounds against Lindenwood.  Jacobi led the OVC in both rebounding (8.9 rpg) and double-doubles (9) last year and had just missed adding to his career total in two other games this season.  The double-double against Lindenwood was the 12th of his EIU career as he continues to inch his way towards 500 career rebounds at EIU (453 at EIU … 8.1 rpg for EIU career / 538 college career).  

OLAFIOYE WITH A CAREER HIGH 

Last season Malik Olafioye scored in double figures in two games cracking the double figure mark for the first time with ten points in the OVC opener at Southeast Missouri and posting a season high 11 points in a win over Blackburn.  In this year’s OVC opener with Lindenwood, Olafioye again opened conference play with double figure scoring as he finished with a career high 14 points going 5-of-10 from the field and 3-of-4 from the line.  His previous high this season was nine points in the opener at Valparaiso.

PANTHERS GOOD IN THE FIRST HALF 

Eastern Illinois opened the first half of OVC play on Saturday connecting for the Panthers best 20 minutes of the season as they shot 54.8 percent from the floor to take a 41-34 lead into the break.  It was the fourth time this season EIU has shot 50 percent or better in a half with 51.7 percent at home against Tiffin in the first half and second half efforts at Central Arkansas and at Purdue.  On the season EIU is shooting 41.0 percent from the field (10th in the OVC) while averaging 62.1 points per game (11th in the OVC). 

UP NEXT

Sunday – December 14, 2025 at #4 Iowa State (12 pm on ESPN+)



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NIU Women’s Golf Signs One for 2026-27 Season

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Women’s Golf | December 8

DeKALB, Ill.—Northern Illinois University women’s golf coach Kim Kester has announced the signing of Nethra Sheri for the upcoming season.
 
Sheri comes to the Huskies women’s golf program after competing for Coppell High School in Irving, Texas. With the Cowboys, Sheri was a member of the team that claimed the 2025 6A State Championship, placed third at the 2024 6A State tournament, and claimed District championships in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Sheri also tied for first place at District championships and took third at Regionals.
 
Sheri has made her mark on the junior golf tour, competing with the Texas Junior Golf Team, All-American Tour, and American Junior Golf Tour. With the Texas Junior team, Sheri has claimed two victories and six top-5 finishes. Sheri added four top-15 finishes with the American Junior Golf tour, and two wins with the All-American tour. Additionally, Sheri was the Women’s Southern Amateur Quarterfinalist in 2025.
 
“We are excited to welcome Nethra to the NIU golf family,” noted Kester. “She brings a lot of tournament experience to NIU. She has had a great junior career. We are excited to see what she can do academically and athletically.”
 
The 2025-26 NIU women’s golf team returns to action on January 25-27 as they compete at the UCF Challenge in Orlando, Florida.
 
Want to stay in the know with NIU Women’s Golf? Follow the team on Facebook (Northern Illinois University Women’s Golf), X/Twitter (@NIUWomensGolf), and on Instagram (@niuwomensgolf).
 





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Watch Nebraska volleyball vs Kansas: TV channel, time, streaming

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Dec. 9, 2025, 5:15 a.m. CT

The Nebraska volleyball team enters the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament after sweeping Kansas State last Saturday. The Huskers now face the Kansas Jayhawks, who defeated Miami in four sets.

Nebraska’s offense ranks first nationally with a .352 hitting percentage. The defense is equally impressive, ranking first nationally in opponent hitting percentage at .125. 

Junior Harper Murray leads the team with 3.55 kills and 2.15 digs per set and a team high 30 aces. Setter Bergen Reilly runs the offense at an elite level with an average of 10.31 assists and 2.73 digs per set. Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.75 kills per set on .467 hitting with 1.13 blocks per set. 





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